Duck Eggs

So we’re into duck eggs. We wanted to add ducks to our little farm, so this Spring we ordered a dozen Ancona ducks. They arrived in early March as these cute little, yellow and black, day old fuzz balls. It’s been fun watching them grow into the mature, egg laying ducks we have.

I’ve learned a few things along the way too. For example, a male duck is called a drake but a female is just called a duck. Ducks don’t have to have a pond but they sure do like the water. So we have a couple of kiddy pools for them to play, bathe and even mate in! Each Ancona ducks lay about 300 eggs a year and we have 8 ducks. So, if everyone is laying according to statistics, we should get about 2,400 eggs (or 200 dozen) a year.  That’s about 3.85 dozen a week. Woah. Now that’s a lot of eggs!

So what are we going to do with all these eggs?? Eat ’em! And sell them so you can eat them too.  They are some differences to chicken eggs and are a great alternative to those with allergies to chicken eggs.

• Duck eggs are higher in calories, fat (good fat) and protein than chicken, but they also often have higher amounts of Vitamin A, B12, D, E and folate depending on their diets. Of course, our ducks free range for all the bugs, grass, seed they can eat and are given a soy free organic feed too.
• Chicken eggs tend to be lower in cholesterol, lower in cost and have a more mild taste.
• Duck eggs can be larger in size, although at this point ours seem to be the same or only slightly larger than the chicken eggs. That could be because they are just starting to lay and as the ducks get older the eggs will get larger.
• Duck eggs are higher in Omega-3 Fatty Acids (that’s the good fatty acids), richer and creamier in taste and are said to have a longer shelf life due to a thicker shell.
• Duck eggs tend to be richer in flavor, most likely due to a higher fat content.
• Duck eggs contain more albumen (the white of an egg) which helps to create a very light, fluffy and rich baked good. Chefs love them for that reason.

For us there is one other fact that is relevant to our personal health; their selenium and iron content. We deal with low iron and low thyroid. “The selenium supports a healthy immune function and helps you make thyroid hormones. The iron helps your red blood cells carry oxygen and plays a role in energy production.”

Want to read more? Check out these articles:

http://thefreerangelife.com/duck-eggs-vs-chicken-eggs-whats-the-difference/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/338071-the-nutritional-value-of-duck-eggs/

Everything You Need to Know About Duck Eggs